Lighting is a serious concern in the manufacturing industry. When products are handmade, it is incumbent upon the operator to be able to see what he or she is doing. Often, however, the machines they use, in and of themselves, create shadows which obscure the work that needs to be done. To this end, many work lights have been developed for many different types of machines. These may be hard-mounted upon the machine or may be “soft-mounted,” which is to say removable. One particular solution is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,260 to Tieszen. It this patent, a ring light is described for a rotary, spindle-type tool. The light features a soft-mounting support ring and a replaceable light ring, thus allowing for different light ring modules to be positioned on the support ring. However, the support ring travels with the spindle of the tool and is, at all time, near the chuck. Some operators may want adjustability as to where their light actually is placed, especially given that close proximity to the chuck is also close proximity to the work in progress, risking damage to the ring light from flack. The disclosed ring light is also powered by a cord, which does add some limitation to its use.
A ring light for a rotary, spindle-type tool which mounts around the spindle of the machine in question, thereby allowing variation in its location would be but one embodiment of the invention. It may or may not be also cordless and may have a modular power supply option.
The present invention represents a departure from the prior art in that the ring light of the present invention allows for adjustment of the location of the ring light and presents selectable options to power the same. Unlike the prior art, the light ring is a unitary construction, requiring no separate support structure.